A World So Different
by Hidden Enchantments
Summary: Harry is dropped off early at the train station by Hagrid.He befriends Hermione first, and gives Ron the cold shoulder for insulting his first friend.Neville is thrown into the mix as Harry's guy friend.What will happen at Hogwarts with a different trio?


**Before I start, note these few things:**

**This is a strict Ron and Ginny bashing throughout most of the first two years.**

**Ginny/Harry and Ron/Hermione will NEVER, I repeat NEVER ever happen**

**Ginny may become a friend in later years.**

**Flames are deleted immediately unless very constructive in nature**

**Reviews are greatly appreciated**

**Disclaimer****: I do not own the Harry Potter series and its amazing characters. Otherwise, it would be completely different pairings.**

Introductions of the Extravagant Kind

A rugged, malnourished little boy walked towards Platforms 9 and 10, wandering in hopelessness to find the mythical Platform 9 ¾. Had someone looked closely, they could have seen messy black hair under his jumper hood, a pair of taped-up glasses, and some small scars. Most noticeably, was a lightning shaped marking zigzagging down his left temple. But of course, this small child was not of the least interest to the large adults rushing to their trains. Frustrated from his fruitless search, he huffed and sat down. This boy was named Harry Potter, and he was whimsically told by a hulking giant of a man two nights previous, that he was a wizard.

Harry had never considered himself special as he was called a freak and many other not-so-nice names by his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. He had been abused since he could walk, and lived in the tiny cupboard under the stairs at their modest home. His whale of a cousin was pampered like a prince with an extra room for his toys. Harry, however, was similar to a slave in the Dursley household. While he was glad to leave the hidden nastiness of his relatives, he was bewildered by this new tumult of information.

First of all, as mentioned, he was just burdened with being magical. This was very exciting, but not nearly the biggest of revelations. His parents had not died drunk in a car crash, but saving him from an evil Dark Lord named Voldemort. That was the most important to Harry. He now had idols in his life to live up to, and swore to protect anyone that became his friend to honor his parent's sacrifice. Lastly, Harry Potter, in the wizarding world, was famous for surviving the Killing Curse. He had suddenly jumped from being no one to the famous, Boy-Who-Lived. After all of this new information, he had received his supplies for the magical school Hogwarts, a wand, and an owl from Hagrid.

Next, Hagrid the half giant had to leave unexpectedly for a meeting, and left in a flash, leaving Harry all alone again to find the Hogwarts Express at a seemingly non-existent platform an hour earlier than he was supposed to be there. So, like any smart kid with no instructions, he asked one of the workers at the station. "Excuse me, sir, could you direct me to Platform 9 ¾?"

"9 ¾? Are you kidding me? Get lost, kid." The rude man then turned back to an upper class couple asking for directions. Mumbling under his breath, he turned back towards his bench from beforehand and saw a peculiar sight. A bushy haired petite girl was telling off her parents for not coming towards the pillar between Platforms 9 and 10. Both were obviously "muggles" or non-magical people. Their daughter must have been a witch, for, sure enough, she pushed her hand through the wall and turned back with a triumphant look on her face.

This made Harry jubilant. _Someone like me! _He thought, and rushed over to speak with the other preteen. As he came closer, he saw that the two parents were fairly young, probably in their late thirties, and dressed very smartly. The man had a pair of masculine glasses and graying hair that swept out of his face. His wife was pretty and professional with her brown hair done up in a curly ponytail. Both wore business suits and happy smiles on their faces as they listened to their daughter's lecture of how it was safe to cross the magical barrier.

"Honestly, I don't know why you two are so hesitant! I just put my hand through the barrier two seconds ago." Finally at the end of her tirade, the girl sat down upon her trunk with a sigh. As Harry came closer, he saw the older two chuckling at their daughter's antics. Gathering enough courage, he swept his hair out of his eyes and glided over to the small family.

"Excuse me, my name is Harry Potter. I happened to notice you know where the Platform of 9 ¾ is. Would you mind showing me?" He shuffled from foot to foot as the three scrutinized the scrawny child. The girl was especially interested in him. _Does she know of my fame? _ He thought hesitantly, not wanting someone to take advantage of him. She caught his wary gaze and smiled. Slowly warming up to her, he gave a small grin as the parents gave watched with interest.

"Hello Harry. My name is Hermione. These are my parents, Greg and Susan Granger. Of course we can show you the barrier! If only my parents would **go through it**!" She emphasized this last part, directing it at her mother and father.

"Well dear, if you would have stopped to let us walk there, we could have been on the train already." This teasing comment from Mr. Granger made Hermione blush as Harry smiled. "Sure we can escort you to the train, Harry. Where are you parents? Surely they would like to bring you themselves?" Harry scowled at this statement. If his parents were alive, they probably would've been delighted to bring him to the train. The Grangers noticed the look and were worried for the boy. Were his parents mean to him?

"My parents died when I was one." He stated plainly, not comfortable with the topic just yet. He opened his mouth to speak once more. "I live with my aunt and uncle." This brought on even more bad memories, causing his face to darken. This caused Hermione to fret that he was offended. The books had said his life was great and pampered with his caring relatives, but something was not right with that picture from the way Harry acted. Susan Granger also noticed the signs of child abuse, but refrained from speaking out until she had talked with her husband. Afraid of losing a potential friend, Hermione suddenly grabbed her trunk, hefted it onto the cart and grabbed Harry, all the while walking towards the pillar separating them from all that was magical.

Later on the train, Hermione and Harry were just settling in after departing from the station. When Hermione had trouble with her trunk, Harry scrambled to help her in an effort to build a bridge of hope between them. Both were happy for a chance to make new friends, but neither had previous experiences to rely on. They finally finished packing away their belongings overhead; soon the two sat down and looked at anything but each other. Both were nervous and excited, but didn't know how to express themselves, so they stole glances at each other.

Harry was very interested in Hermione, because she seemed outgoing and talkative, but became shy and timid once away from her parents. She was looking out the window at the passing scenery as he took note of her. She looked like she loved to study from the size of the books in her carry-on bag, and had a caring smile earlier on. Hermione had so much hair she had to fully turn her head to get a glimpse of anything other than her frizzy curls. Her eyes were a dark, mysterious blue that looked very stunning and wise.

Meanwhile, Hermione was thinking of how to break the ice that had settled between them. She though he looked very kind and easy going, but needed to get his hair fixed. His black shock of hair was stubborn and would not sit in one simple direction. His glasses were crooked, smudged, and broken. It was killing her to not fix them, but she wanted to get to know him first. She took a second to wonder if he was really _The Harry Potter,_ so she peeked at his forehead, and saw the dull pink skin that traveled down to become a lightning bolt. This had to be him, but she had to make sure.

"Are you really Harry Potter?" She questioned him, shattering the silence that had cascaded down upon them. His eyes flicked to her face and he blushed, mumbling a, "Yes." as he ran his hands through his hair. Again she pressed on, with a "Are you excited? About going to the school and everything, I mean, it seems so amazing! Yesterday I just thought I was normal girl and that magic didn't exist! Have you read _Hogwarts, A History_, yet? I don't know what House I would like to be in, but Ravenclaw and Gryffindor sound pretty nice. Oh, listen to me rambling on, I must be seriously annoying you!" She abruptly became silent, hoping he would not leave as she ducked her head. She missed his evolving smile as she hid behind her hair.

"No, it's okay, I understand how you feel," he started, as she lifted her head with hopeful eyes. "I didn't know about magic until two days ago. Do you know any magic yet? I would love to see it in action. What was that book you talked about, and the Houses? Could you explain?" Harry opened up to the girl, deciding to befriend her. He was bewildered by the wanting to learn she brought out in her voice, and it enticed him to ask questions. Her eyes glistened as she told him about her soon to be favorite book as she brought her wand out to his face.

"Occulous Reparo" She said with finality, as the tape snapped off in smoke as his glasses molded back together. He took his glasses off his nose and studied them, amazed at how convenient it was. He grinned up at Hermione as his now squeaky clean spectacles were replaced upon his nose.

"That. Was. Awesome. " He said, obviously impressed. She blushed at his praise and reached out to bring _Hogwarts, A History_ back into her lap. This brought his attention back to the book. Could you explain about the school some? I didn't have time to get extra books." He explained to her.

"Well," she began, switching to lecture mode. "Hogwarts has four houses that students get sorted into based upon personality. There is Slytherin, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff, named after the founders of the school, Salazar Slytherin, Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Helga Hufflepuff. They each had their own special traits, which is how the students are sorted. The most popular houses are Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Hufflepuff. Slytherin gets a bad reputation because its main traits are ambition and cunning. Their mascot is the snake. Hufflepuffs are known for their loyalty and kindness, and they sport a badger. Ravenclaw is known for wisdom and intellectual talent, with the raven as their obvious animal friend. Gryffindor is the house known for courage and respect, with lion to symbol their house. I would personally like to be in Ravenclaw or Gryffindor from what the book says."

Harry nodded as he soaked up the welcome information. He agreed that the Ravens and Lions sounded the most intriguing, but the Badgers sounded okay too. They talked for a little longer, become familiar with each other's birthdays, favorites, and eagerness to the long year ahead of them. About an hour into the train ride, a bulkier brown haired, mildly chubby boy knocked on the compartment door and poked his head in. He looked nervous, and frantically scanned the floor inside.

"Have y-y-you seen a, a, a t-toad? I s-seem t-t-to ha-have l-lost m-m-my pet Tr-trevor." He stumbled upon his words, nervous to be talking to these two strangers. He kept his glance firmly on the carpeted ground. Had he looked up, he would have noticed that Harry was smiling at Hermione as they both thought of his unique introduction to the Grangers. He had acted in much the same manner. So Harry then took the initiative to ask the scared boy to sit and talk. He struggled with a response. "I, I n-n-need t-to find-d my p-pet." As easily as she had earlier, Hermione whipped out her wand before firing off a spell.

"Accio Trevor!" She said to the still air, holding out a patient hand. Harry and the child he spoke to exchanged confused glances as the oh-so-wise Granger held out her hand like she expected one of the boys to take it. Before Harry could move a muscle to appease her, a large brown and dark green amphibian landed in distress after his short flight. "Here you go…" She paused for an answer.

"Neville Longbottom." His stutter had left to be replaced with a relieved demeanor. Hermione noticed his obvious gratitude and blushed.

"Well, Neville, you are welcome to sit with us now that you have Trevor back. My name is Hermione Granger and this is Harry." As Neville processed her kind offer, his face now depicted astonishment. No one was ever openly nice to him, as he was a misfit that lived with his grandmother. His parents had been magically cursed enough to go mental, so he was left to his overbearing gran. He still loved his family, but their difference left him an outcast to most other kids. He nodded and talked of coming back as he walked out the compartment door with a skip to his step. Hermione Granger and Harry, whatever his last name was (A/N: Hermione left it out on purpose.) were very nice, and he intended to not offend them. Soon after, the three were left in a debate of why boys were not allowed in the girls' dorms, but girls could come to theirs.

A tap to the door of their compartment turned the attention to a tall red headed boy with tattered bags. He trumped on in and asked, "May I sit here? All the others are full." He sat down next to Hermione, not waiting for an answer.

She looked at him, with his grubby clothes and foul smell, and stated to him in disdain, "You have dirt on your face." He shrugged his shoulders and took out a disheveled rat with a missing claw and started feeding it. "Could you put it away? I don't want to get sick from your rat." He looked at her with a red face. He went back to feeding his pet with more force. "I would appreciate if you could move away from me." Hermione told this boy. He was now the color of a tomato.

"Why should I?" He almost shouted at her, not understanding why this girl was even here. She had even been reading a **book**, of all things. "Shove off and go read your stupid book." This caused a number of things to happen at once. The insulted child hid her face as the words took effect, making her eyes leak. Harry had reached out and grabbed the boy and held him at eye level.

"Never, I repeat, NEVER insult my friends again. If you do, you will regret the day you were born!" After holding the terrified preteen with his fire-lit gaze, he questioned him. "Who are you?"

The boy trembled and stuttered in fear at this fierce emotion. "Rrr-ron, Ron W-w-weasley."The effort to answer almost caused him to gasp. Little did he know it would only get worse.

"Well, Ron Weasley, do take note that if you bother my friends again, you will rue the day you met Harry Potter." As Harry finally fully introduced himself, Neville and Ron gaped like fish at the boy-legend. The red head quickly tried to regain Harry's trust as his fame was mentioned, but was thrown out the door with his dirty baggage and filthy rat. Harry grimaced as the boy pounded on the door, mouthing, '_I'm sorry'. _He did not appreciate that this kid had come in and upset his new friend. He had wanted to hurt him, and was afraid of this new protective emotion. Harry had never had someone to hang out with at school because of Dudley's bullying, and did not want to lose Neville or Hermione. Thoughts of doubt were swirling in his mind as he calmed himself.

_Why does this always happen to me? Will Hermione still want to talk to me? Was I too overbearing? _Many more questions filtered throughout his consciousness as he turned away from the offending nuisance out the glass door. Neville was staring at Harry with a determined face, and looked as though he wouldn't leave even if Voldemort attacked Harry right then. Harry took this in as he was slammed from behind by a force of nature with frizzy locks. He was startled by the sudden impact, and slowly turned in the arms of Hermione. She looked up at him as he pivoted on the spot, and blushed.

"Thank you Harry. No one… no one has ever stood up for me before." She managed, releasing him in a hurry and sitting back down. She peeked up at him from between her brunette mass at the green-eyed boy. Harry looked as if in a daze, with clouded eyes and a small smile creeping onto his face. Neville just watched with interest. Who was he to judge any reaction of Harry's? Especially after helping a friend?

Meanwhile, Harry was trying to register what Hermione had just done. She had hugged him. Only two hours after she met him, she had given her a hug. The first consoling hold he had received since he could remember. Hermione was obviously not going to push him away for his behavior. With a demeanor of authentic happiness, moisture dripped from his eyes. "I have never been hugged before…" He whispered to the still air. "Thank you Hermione."

Neville and Hermione shared a look as he continued. "My aunt and uncle hate me. They make me do all the chores. My cousin gets everything. They even tried to keep me from going to Hogwarts!" His voice level rose with the emotion ensnared within the words. He then regretted burdening them with his problems, and swiftly stated, "I am sorry I threw Ron out. He was being a git to you Hermione, and I don't want others to insult my friends, that is,… if you want to be?" He left the question hanging with uncertainty.

"Are you kidding me? Harry, I don't know why anyone would **not** want to be your friend! Of course I will befriend you." She walked over poked his shoulder. "And don't you dare think Ron didn't deserve it either. He was being a prat and I am thankful for your reciprocation."

Neville now decided to enter the conversation. "I'll be your friend too Harry! I could use more of those. Anyway, Ron won't change. He has been that way to me since I met him when I was five. All he cares about is food and Quidditch." Neville watched Harry smile at his two new friends. Then he pondered the last comment made by Neville.

"What is Quidditch?" Neville's eyes widened. Harry Potter really did not know anything of the wizarding world. He began a rapid fire explanation of brooms to start off. This made Hermione shudder. They found out she had a fear of heights, which the boys vowed to rid her of before the end of the year. After that, Neville took out trading cards for Quidditch that involved different players and their positions. The more he talked, the more questions he drew from Harry. He wanted to know as much about this new sport as possible. From the information, he gathered that he could catch up to the other first ears with broom skills in less than a month. First years were all required to learn to ride with the referee of games, Madame Hooch.

Hermione took some pushing, but her first friends gave her sad puppy dog eyes and begged her to at least try it. If it meant she could keep her new friends, she was all for it. Some things were worth the trouble, her logical mind decided.

An hour later, after the passing of the trolley and a quick run through from Hermione on the teachers, they were prodded out of the compartment to change into their robes by the avid bushy haired student. The two were now alone, with a chance to talk of what they called in code, 'manly stuff'. The boys were talking of food, sports, and how excited they were about Hogwarts. They also had a more serious conversation on their new developments.

Neville brought it up once they reached the bathroom. "Hey, uh, Harry, about what Hermione said, I believe in everything too. You seem like a really nice guy. Most people shy away from me because of my family. It's different with my parents in St. Mungo's. But you didn't care if I was Neville Longbottom or some famous actor. I appreciate that, Harry. Thanks." He soon ducked into a stall after that confession of faith after patting Harry on the shoulder.

Turning around to enter the stall to change, Harry smiled as he thought of his afternoon. He had already made two friends in the wizarding world, and he had only been there for three hours! He was grateful to have a better chance at life, and vowed to do anything for his newfound buddies. He spent little time changing clothes and was soon back in the hallway when Neville called his name. Yes, things were definitely looking up for the small, black haired boy named Harry Potter.

**How was that? I would like some feedback and reviews before I post the next chapter. Next will be the Sorting and they will meet the Weasley twins and Draco. The next chapter should be done in a week or so. Maybe less, if I get a lot of reviews. Keep reading!**

**~Hidden Enchantments~**


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